Ursel Khan

Alumnus Ursel Khan graduated in 2012 and went to Baylor University and the University of North Texas. While in high school Khan played football.

What have you done after high school?

“After graduating high school I attended Baylor University for two years, but that wasn’t for me,” Khan said. “I then, transferred to University of North Texas where I graduated with B.A in Psychology with minors in Biology and Chemistry. I currently work as a medical scribe at the Emergency Room in Burleson and a Family Practice in Midlothian. In addition, I recently began as a research assistant in a cognitive research lab investigating the effects of cognitive effort on the cardiovascular system.”

What made you want to do what you are doing now?

“Everything I am doing right now is to get accepted into medical school and one day fulfil my dream of becoming a physician,” Khan said. “In college, I had the opportunity to shadow some excellent physicians that really inspired me to pursue a career in medicine.”

What did you learn or experience in high school affect you in college and beyond?

“High school was fairly easy for me,” Khan said. “As a result, I ignorantly thought I knew how to study. That first year of college was a wakeup call. I learned a great deal about humility and importance of always improving oneself.”

Explain your job now.

“My job as a scribe requires me to accompany the physician into the exam room and to document the entirety of the patient interaction,” Khan said. “I document the patient complaint, their history, any pertinent physical exam findings and send out prescriptions. For any student looking to get involved in the medical field (MD, PA, Nursing). I’d highly recommend looking into this job. My roles as research assistant are to prepare all participants for the experiment ( applying electrodes, disclosing the experiment, getting documents signed, etc). Then I work with the rest of the research team to later analyze the data and attempt to come to a conclusion. As the least senior member of the team I have to the grunt work, but it is worth it in the end.”

What are your plans for the future?

“My plan is to attend medical school and become a physician,” Khan said. “This spring I am heading on a medical volunteer trip to the Honduras, so any help would be appreciated (https://www.gofundme.com/UKHonduras). I’m especially interested in emergency and wilderness medicine.”

What is your advice to current high schoolers?

“Realize there is more to life than chomping down on Tide Pods,” Khan said. “In all seriousness, always work improving yourself, whether it be spiritually, academically or in just dealing with people. Do not take for granted the importance of working hard and stay hungry.”